Rev. Leuchtenberger is our senior minister. Read more.
There is a level of diversity that we experience as threatening – consciously or unconsciously. The tipping point varies between individuals and cultures. Acknowledging that tipping point can be difficult for religious liberals. Empathy for the reality of our own limitations is an important first step while cultivating empathy for others helps us shift the … Continue reading The Path of Empathy
“Why it’s so hard for white people to talk about racism” is the subtitle of Robin DiAngelo’s groundbreaking book titled “White Fragility.” As Michael Eric Dyson writes in the foreword: “DiAngelo brilliantly names a whiteness that doesn’t want to be named, disrobes a whiteness that dresses in camouflage as humanity, unmasks a whiteness costumed as … Continue reading White Fragility
As progressives, UUs tend to celebrate the idea of diversity and the importance of being welcoming to all – whether in our churches or society at large. Religious liberals are turned off by the rhetoric of “building walls” yet ignore the reality that we all need “walls” that keep us safe, create a sense of … Continue reading The Walls We Build
Humans, as all life forms, depend on diversity for their evolution, their resilience, their survival. We also excel at identifying patterns of difference among us despite the overwhelming similarities that unite us. And somehow our pattern recognition favors framing those differences in binary terms despite the underlying continuums. How do we let go of our … Continue reading Embracing Fluidity
On May 19, 1841, Theodore Parker delivered one of the most famous sermons of the Unitarian tradition “The Transient and Permanent in Christianity.” His sermon proclaimed that even if Jesus had never lived the core insights of Christianity would still be true. Not having Jesus as a teacher or an authority on the truth is … Continue reading The Transient & Permanent
The existence and evolution of life is a function of the impermanent nature of all that is. Similarly, an awareness and embrace of the impermanence of all aspects of our lives and the lives around us is essential to the quality of our life experience. Understanding that all pleasant as well as unpleasant experiences are … Continue reading In Praise of Impermanence
There would be no life without impermanence. Life depends on the continual transformation of one form of energy into another. We embrace these changes when it comes to food, the seasons, the sun. Yet we struggle when faced with the same dynamic in our relationships, our health, our identities, our inevitable encounter(s) with death. How … Continue reading When Impermanence Hurts
The prophetic voice is core to who we are as Unitarian Universalists. We value speaking truth to power. We write letters demanding change. We protest in public. And many of us relish our roles pointing out what’s wrong with the systems and culture that keep us from reaching “the promised land.” It takes courage to … Continue reading We Could be Wrong
In “The Power of Kindness” Piero Ferrucchi writes: “Humility put into practice allows us to touch reality as it is.” It’s not about false modesty or self-deprecation. Humility is about knowing and owning our strengths without needing to feel superior to anyone else. Humility is about being aware of our limitations and weaknesses without needing … Continue reading It’s All About Me
Appearance seems far more important than reality. The clothes we wear, the cars we drive (or don’t drive), the events we attend, the “friends” we mention – all create a perception of who we are. Nothing new here. What has changed is the ease, reach, and quality of the facade we have learned to … Continue reading What’s Behind Your Mask?
